“Fowler, Poulter voted most overrated by anonymous peer vote,” writes Ray Ballengee who’s reporting on Coleman McDowell’s post which reveals that Bubba Watson comes in third as the most overrated player in the professional ranks.

Not the most popular guy on the tee boxColeman writes, “In an anonymous poll conducted by Sports Illustrated, PGA Tour pros voted Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter as the most overrated players in golf with both receiving 24 percent of the vote.” And if I’ve got it right that’s telling me that almost 50 percent of the pros are in agreement in about two players. With two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson coming in third with 12 percent of his peers who do appear to have issues with the bad guy from Bagdad. For instance Bubba’s recent statement that, “I need to improve as a man,” was his response to being voted the most unpopular golfer by his fellow pros and further evidence he’s not the most popular guy on the tee box.

Over hyped not overratedRyan writes, “Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter are considered to get too much hype given their perceived talent level,” and I get the feeling that there’s some sour grapes in their selection. Over hyped but not overrated is my interpretation of the poll statistics.

In regards to Rickie, Ryan writes, “The 26-year-old Fowler has just one PGA Tour win, a playoff victory over Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points in the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship. However, he became just the third player (Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus) in golf history to finish in the top five in all four majors in a season. Then again, he was also the first player to accomplish the feat without winning one of the majors.”

Lies, damned lies and statistics “Did they REALLY take a poll for this? Or did this writer make it up? Would the Pros on the tour participate in such a poll? I don't think so,” writes Paul P commenting on Ryan’s post. However polls do provide us bloggers with food for thought. Like for instance is Jordan Spieth over hyped?

Shane Ryan writes, “The most interesting element of Spieth's premature ascension will be Rory's rebuttal. Seeking out the "next Tiger" in golf is reductive and lazy, and even the most obvious rivalries have a way of petering out. Still, it was hard not to read Rory's win as a response to the Spiethian fanfare.”

Quote of the Day“Poulter, 39, has two PGA Tour victories, the most recent coming in 2012, to go along with 12 Euro Tour wins. The brash Englishman has eight top-10 finishes in major championships and has earned more than $17.19 million in his career.” – Coleman McDowell providing the facts on the allegedly overrated Englishman